Road grader



F 9 v .1. E. CARLSON 1,945,517

ROAD .GRADER Original Filed March 26, 1931 '2 Sheets-Sheet l III! hh J7 (751226151?! Larfia Patented Feb. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT.OFFICE;

James E. Carlson, MinneapolisgMlnn.

Application March 26, 1931, SQI'iaI'NO. 525383 Renewed November 19, 1931 .22 Claims. (01. 37-143) My invention provides an improved road grader adapted for use in keeping gravel or other dirt roads in good condition but especially designed and particularly adapted for use for-leveling off and smoothing up such roadbeds that have become corrugated or worn down to ridgelike formations sometimes designated asv corduroy surfaces. These corrugated roads are very annoying and cause damaging vibration and jarring to automobiles and other motor-propelled vehicles and much discomfort to persons-travelling the same as well as slowing up the speed of traflic. As traffic conditions become heavier there is a tendency for such road surfaces to become constantly more deeply rigid, and the problem of removing the ridges and smoothing up such roadbeds is probably the most difllculty'problem in the maintenance of good roads. tional types ofroad graders have not'been found efiicient for removing these corrugations from the roadbeds because their scrapers or cutters will more or less follow the contour of the ridges and while they will fill in the grooves and chuck holes, will not properly or satisfactorily cut off the high spots of the ridges to thereby even up the entire road surface. g

The road grader that I have designed and which, in practice has been found highly efhcient for the purposes had in view, is provided with trowelling beams and planer-acting blades combined in such manner that the beams will not follow the irregularities of'the jroad ridges, but will act as gauges to limit the cutting action of the planer blades and the latter will plane or cutoff the tops or all of the road ridges with a slicing action and in conjunctionwith the rear troweling beam will evenly distribute the loose material over the road, thereby removing the ridges and truing up the road surface.

The invention involves certain other novel features hereinafter more specifically described and which extend the use and increase the utility of the grader as a device for maintaining the roadbeds in good condition.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a commercially practical form of the road grader, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

- Referring to the drawings: v

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the improv grader connected to and arranged to be drawn by a tractor; i

Fig. 2 is a perspective showing the improved road grader;

Co'nventions by rivets orby'welding. I

nque slots 20', as best shown in Fig. 2.

shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is atransverse vertical sectiontaken' on the line4--4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section taken" on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2; i Fig; 6 is a fragment line 66 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary bottom plan'view of Fig. 3 is a right side elevation of the grader y "sectiontaken on "the the grader, various parts thereof'being'broken away? i I Fig. 8 is a-vertical section taken'on' the'li ne Fig. 9 ma view correspondingto Fig.3" but i showingthe grader provided with a'='scarlfy ing attachment which is interchangeable with the plane'r'element of the'road'graden The frame or body "member of theimproved road grader shown'an'd as preferably designed includes a pair of heavy channeIbea'mslOand-'11 set in parallel arrangement with-their-flanges turned rearwardly with respectt'o the direction of travel 'of'the grader. I These beams "10 an'd'll,

hereinafter designated as trowelling beamsfas shown are rigidly tied together-bya; plurality of steel tiebars 12 and-truss bars 13 As shown, there =are-three of the tiebars 12' and each-comprises a pair of laterally spaced angle-beams o'r-bars.

The said frame orbody' elements'lfl, 11;- i2 and 13 are very rigidly connected at their abutting por- The forward beam 10 is provided on its'front face with heavy'draw lugs 14 to which a chain 15 or the like isattached at'its ends. This chain .2:

ordraft connection 15' is adapted to be connected to the draw bar 16 ofa tractor 17, but'of course, the grader cantbe drawn over the road by any suitable means. As shown, the draw lugs 14 are provided with vertically spaced perforations 1&

that adapt the ends of thefchain 15- to be attached to the grader at different altitudes depending upon the height of the draw bar and the degree of lift,'if any. is desired at all, to be imparted to the lugs under various circumstances; A long steel scraper blade 18 is rigidly but adjustably secured to the lower front face portion of the front beam 10, preferably by nut-equipped bolts 19 and ob in itself of novel construction and comprises a 4 heavy tool-carrying beam 21 'preferabiy a rolled liquely set planer blades 22 that are rigidly se steel channel, and a multiplicity of short ob cured to the bottom of said beam. By reference particularly to Figs. 2 and 7, it will be noted that these so-called planer blades 22 are set at acute angles with respect to the direction of travel and at reverse angles on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the beam and that as prefer ably designed, there is a V-shaped divider or planer blade 23 secured to the central portion of said tool beam.

It may here"-,also be noted, with particular reference to Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 8, that the lower or cutting edges of the blades 22 are disposed at oblique cutting angles with respect to the surface of the road, with a result that they neither scrape the road surface, 8.5,,(1085 for instance the vertical blade 18, nor tear up the road as do scarifiers, such as 21', but, on the other hand, actually out off the relatively high spots and ridges with a slicing or shaving action. The oblique cutting angle of the blades 22 is effected in the present instance by bending the cutting edges forwardly, as shown, although the same effect may be obtained by using straight blade plates and merely mounting them at the desired angle, as shown for instance in Fig. 4 of my copending patent application Ser. No. 589,912, filed January 30, 1932, for Road machine. It is also found that the particular design and arrangement of planer blades, by reason of their operative angles with respect to .the line of draft and with respect to the road surface, permits the machine to function with highly beneficial results when used on a newly oiled dirt or gravel road, in which event the blades 22 are not lowered sufllciently to cut into: the permanently hardened portion of the airstrip-of loose, oiled material, without effecting a composite or general movement of all the surfacematerial laterally, as with a conventional grader blade, and the turning or furrowing'action of the respective blades will result in a thorough mixing of the oil and surface material over the entire width of the surface traversed.

This planer blade-equipped tool beam is connected to the frame or body member of the grader with freedom for vertical adjustments and, as shown, this is accomplished by novel means which, as preferably designed includes several pairs of connecting members, to wit: as shown, two pairs of parallel links 24 and 24* which, at their front ends, are pivoted to lugs on the back of the front beam 10. At their rear ends, the inks 24 and 24" are pivotally connected to head brackets 25, which in turn are rigidly secured to the toolbeam 21. As shown, the head brackets 25 are each made up of'two sections riveted together at 25' and are provided with laterally turned flanges that are rigidly but detachably secured to the tool beam 21 by nut-equipped bolts 26, see particularly Fig. 5.

It is important to note that the lower links 24* are trussed structures of approximately A-shaped formation so that they will resist end thrusts to which the tool beam 21 will be subjected when in use. Otherwise stated, the links 24' prevent movements of the tool bar and or the planer blades 22 transversely of the line of travel of the grader. Of course, the reversely oblique arrangement of the blades 22 will, to a very great extent, neutralize the end thrust on the tool beam,

' but there will nevertheless, be certain endwise stresses to which the said tool beam will be 511 jected and which will be resisted by the said bracket-like links.

A novel and very' desirable lifting device for the tool beam 21 is employed in this improved grader. It comprises a rock shaft 27 that is extended longitudinally of and immediately over the tool beam and is indirectly journaled thereto by being extended through journals in the head brackets 25 and in bearing blocks 28, see particularly Fig. 6, which latter in this preferred arrangement are like the said head brackets detachably secured to said tool beam by nutequipped bolts 29.

This rock shaft 27 has a plurality, as shown three, rigidly secured short projecting arms 30 that are pivoted to short links 31 which, in turn, are pivotally connected to the tiebars 12. As shown, said links 31 are located between the spaced membersof said tiebars and are provided with trunnions 32 pivoted in the flanges of said bar members. For oscillating rock shaft 2'7, it is provided at one end with a rigidly secured handoperated latch lever 33 that co-operates with a notched latch segment 34 rigidly secured to the beam 21 and preferably formed as a part of the 10L immediately adjacent bearing 28.

Operation and use of the grader For the smoothing up and removing of corrugations from roadbeds, the scraper blade 18 will be left in its raised position so that it is out of operation. The bottoms of the beams 10 and 11 will rest upon the roadbed and under forward movement of the grader will move over the roadbed with a trowelling action that is especially true in respect to the rear beam 11. The corner edges especially the lower front corner edges of the two beams 10 and ll'a're preferably somewhat rounded so that they will not have a cutting ac-, tion and so that the two beams 10 and 11 will act as gauges to prevent the planer blades 22, when properly set, from cutting into the roadbed below the plane on which their lower edges are set. By proper setting of the lever23, the lower edges of the scraper bladescan be set at the desired elevation so that they will cut-off just the proper amount of the top portion of the road ridges.. The material cut from the tops of the roadiridges by the blades 22 will be shifted slightlyinward and discharged backward between the 125, blades and by the rear beam'll will be scraped into the depressions of the roadbed and trowelled or packed down therein to considerable extent, thereby leveling up the roadbed and freeing the same from corrugations or wave-like ridges.

When the grader is being drawn over the road for any purpose other than leveling of! the ridges or performing light cutting'or mixing action, the beam 21 will be raised so that its blades 22 will not contact with the ground. When using the grader for the purpose just stated, to wit: for the removing of corrugations. or ridges, the chain 15 is preferably attached to the draw bar of the tractor sothat the grader will stand approximately in a right angle to the line of travel. Also it is important to note that the earth cut from'the ridges by'the plurality of planer blades 22, will be shifted laterally but slightly and will be dis-. charged at the rear of thetool beam and in front of the rear beam 11 in a multiplicity of small loose ridges, and will be readily distributed and pressed into. the valleys or depressions' of the roadbed by said beam 11.

When the grader is to be used as an ordinary drag with the planer blades raised, andit is de- 150 nect the chain to the drawbar of a tractor so' that the grader will standoblique to the line of travel. In Fig. 1, the oblique position of the grader for the purpose just stated is shown by dotted lines and is such as to scrape loosened earth toward the center or either side of the roadbed.

8. it will be noted that the links 24 and 24* and their pivots are in the form of a parallelogram so that under vertical adjustments of the tool beam 21, blades 22 will be kept vertical or always parallel to original positions in respect to a vertical. To adapt the grader for use as a scarifler that is, fortearing up a roadbed, for entire re-arrangement of the surface thereof, there is provided a tool beam 21 which is like the tool beam 21 but is provided with a multiplicity of heavy tively, and making the interchange of beams just indicated. This substitution of the tool beams is not one that will be required frequently but when required it may be performed quite readily by means just stated. i

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described my invention, what I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A road grader comprising a frame having front and rear road engaging supports one-of which supports includes a beam for trowelling engagement with the road, a tool equipped bar carried by the frame between said supports and in substantial parallelism with the beam, means for vertically adjusting said tool bar with respect to the road surface, and a series of spaced, obliquely set planer blades carried by the bar and having their lower, cutting edges projecting forwardly at oblique angles with respect to the road surface so as to effect a horizontal cut in.

the latter as the machine moves forwardly.

2. A road grader comprising a frame having road-engaging means, a tool beam carried by the frame and provided with a multiplicity of spaced obliquely set planer blades having horizontally disposed cutting edges, and means adjustably supporting said tool beam from said frame,said supporting means comprising connections and a single manually operative member for vertically adjusting said tool beam to set the blades thereof at different elevations without changing the horizontal condition of their cutting edges 3. A road grader comprising a suitable frame, a tool bar carried by the frame,'and means for vertically adjusting said tool bar, said tool bar having an aligned transversely extending series of spaced obliquely set planer blades, the planer blades on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of said tool bar being set in reversely oblique positions.

4. A road grader comprising a frame, a toolequipped bar carried by the frame, means for vertically adjusting said tool bar, said toolequipped bar having spaced obliquely set planer blades, the planer blades on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of said tool bar being set in By reference again particularly to Figs. 3, 4 and beam,

reversely oblique positions, and a v-shaped central scraper on said bar at the central portion thereof between'the reversely oblique series of blades. I

5. A road grader comprising connected front and rear road-engaging beams, a tool-equipped bar located between said front and rear beams,

parallel links connecting said tool beam to one of said road-engaging beams, and means for setting said tool beam in different vertical adjustments.

6. A road grader comprising a frame having a transversely disposed beam, a tool-equipp'edbar located adjacent said beam, parallel links connecting said tool bar to said beam, and means for setting said tool bar in different vertical adjustments, certain of said links being of trusslike laterally spread formation for resisting end thrusts on said tool bar. l

7. In a road grader, jparallel front and rear road-engaging beams", frame members connecting said front andrear beams, links pivotally connected to one of said road-engaging means, head brackets pivotally connected to the free ends ofsaid links, a tool-equipped bar connected to said head brackets and movable vertically therewith, a'rock shaft journaled on said tool beam, lever and link connections between said rock shaft and said frame members, and means applied to said rock shaft for oscillating the same and fox-setting said tool beam in different verticaladjustments in respect to said road-engaging beams.-

8."A road grader comprising connected front and rear road-engaging beams. a tool-equipped bar carried by the grader between said front and rear beams, means for vertically adjusting said tool bar, said tool-equipped bar'having spaced obliquely set planer blades, and a scraper blade adjustably carried by the front road-engaging 9. A road grader comprising 1 front and rear road-enga g beams, frame members 'connect ing said beams, parallel links pivotally connected gaging beams, frame members rigidly connecting said front and rear beams, links pivotally connected to and extended rearward from said front road-engaging beam, head brackets pivotally connected to the free ends of said links, a'toolequipped bar extended between said front and rear beams and below said frame members, a rock shaft extended through said'head brackets and journaled to said tool bar, short arms rigidly secured to said rock shaft, links pivotally connected to the free ends of said short arms and to the overlying frame members, a lever secured to said rock shaft for oscillating the same and adjusting said tool bar vertically, and means co-operating with said lever to secure said tool bar in different vertical adjustments.

11. In a road grader, front and rear road-engaging beams, frame members rigidly connecting said front and rear beams, links pivotally contool-equipped bar extended between said front and rear beams and below said frame members, a rock shaft extended through said head brackets and journaled to said tool bar, short arms rigidly secured'to said rock shaft, linkspivotally connected to the free ends of said short arms and to the overlying frame members, a lever secured to said rock shaft for oscillating the same and adjusting said tool bar vertically, and means cooperating with said lever to secure said tool bar in different vertical adjustments, said tool bar being provided with laterally spaced obliquely set planer blades for direct engagement with the road bed.

a 12.. Ina road grader, front and rear road-en- I gaging beams, frame members rigidly connecting said front and rear beams, links pivotally connected to and extended rearward from said front road-engaging beam, head brackets pivotally connected to the free ends of said links, a toolequipped bar extended between said front-and rear beams and below said frame members, a

, in different vertical adjustments, said tool bar being provided withv laterally spaced obliquely set planer blades for direct engagement with the road bed, the planer blades on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of said tool bar being set in reverse oblique arrangement.

13. In a road grader, front and rear road-engaging beams, frame members rigidly connecting said front and rear beams, links pivotally connected to and extended rearward from said front road-engaging beam, head brackets pivotally connected to the free ends of said links, a toolequipped bar extended between said front and rear beams and below said frame members, a rock shaft extended through said head brackets and journaled to said tool ban-short arms rigidly secured to said rock shaft, links pivotally connected to the free ends of said short arms and to the overlying frame members, a lever secured to said rock shaft for oscillating the same and adjusting said tool bar vertically, and means cooperating with said lever to secure said tool bar in different vertical adjustments, said tool bar being provided with laterally spaced obliquely set planer blades for direct engagement with the road bed, the planer blades on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of said tool bar being set in reverse oblique arrangement, and the said tool-bar being detachable from said head brackets and from said rock shaft so that a tool bar having a different function but of similar character may be substituted for the removed tool bar.

14. A road planer comprising a beam arranged substantially transverse with respect to the direction of travel, means for vertically ad- .justing the beam, and two rows of relatively rigid planer blades carried by respectively opposite ends of the beam for cutting engagement with a road surface, the blades ofeach row being substantially parallel and disposed at an oblique angle that is opposite to the angle of the blades of the other row with respect to the direction of travel.

15. In a road planer two aligned rows of planer blades arranged transversely with respect-to the direction of travel and having cutting edges disposed in a common horizontal plane, the blades of each row being parallel and at sufficiently oblique angles so as to constitute an unbroken cutting plane with respect to the direction of travel, and the blades of the respective rows being disposed at opposite angles with respect to the direction of travel. I

16. In a road planer two aligned rows of planer blades arranged transversely with respect to the direction of travel and having cutting edges disposed in a common horizontal plane, the blades of each row being parallel and at sufiiciently oblique angles so as to constitute an unbroken cutting plane with respect to the direction of travel, and the blades of each row being arranged 17. In a road planer two aligned rows of planer blades arranged transversely with respect to the direction oftravel and having forwardly directed cutting edges disposed in a common hori zontal plane so as to effect a uniform undercut slicing action in the road surface, the blades of each row being parallel and at sufficiently oblique angles so as to constitute an unbroken cutting plane with respect to the direction of travel, and avertically adjustable beam carrying said blades one row at each end thereof.

18. In a road planer two aligned rows of reversely angled planer blades arranged transversely with respect to the direction of travel and having cutting edges disposed in a common horizontal plane, means for raising and lowering the planer blades, and means for maintaining the cutting edges of the blades in parallelism with said horizontal plane while they are thus being raised and lowered.

19. A road working machine comprising a drag frame having front and rear trowelling beams, a plurality of angularly arranged parallel planer blades disposed between saidbeams, and a scraper blade carried by the front trowelling beam.

20. A road working machine comprising a drag frame having front and rear trowelling beams, a plurality of angularly arranged parallel planer blades disposed between said beams, and a scraper blade adjustably secured to the front faceof the forward trowelling beam.

21. A road working machine comprising a drag frame having front and rear road engaging beams, a tool beam adjustably carried by and between said road engaging beams, and a plurality of obliquely set substantially parallel planer blades carried by-said tool beam.- v

22. A road working machine comprising a drag frame having front and rear road engaging beams, a tool beam adjustably carried by and between said road engaging beams, a series of cutting tools carriedby said tool beam, a draft device, and means for attaching the draft device to the front end of the frame at various elevations so as to adjust the degree of lift imparted to the drag by the draft device.

JAMES E. CARLSON. 

